City of Dodge City to recognize St. Mary of the Plains College winning football teams

DODGE CITY, Ks. — The City of Dodge City is set to recognize the 1988, 1989, 1990, & 1991
of St. Mary of the Plains College (SMPC)Football Teams by inducting them to the “Wall of
Fame” on Saturday, July 23, 2022. The dedication will be held at the St. Mary’s of the Plains
Complex at 9:45 am.

“With the closure of the St Mary of the Plains College in 1992 many of the outstanding accomplishments and achievements at SMPC were never recognized,” said Dodge City Mayor Kent Smoll. “We are proud to now be able to honor the winning football teams and create the ‘Wall of Fame’ inside Hennessy Hall” The dedication will begin with the reveal of a storyboard depicting the four football seasons at the northeast corner of Hennessy Hall. From there the ceremony will move to the gym of the Dodge City YMCA, formerly known as the Sheridan Activity Center, to recognize the coaches and players.

“The dedication into the Dodge City Wall of Fame, is an extraordinary honor for the St. Mary of
the Plains College Football players, assistant coaches as well as the college,” said Coach Rick
Trestrail. “I am so very proud to be a small part of the program’s success. These players that we
coached, were outstanding human beings and have achieved so much in their careers since
leaving SMPC. They have become very accomplished citizens.”

In addition to the Wall of Fame dedication, the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame will be in attendance to honor the 1989 St. Mary team with the distinguished Pride of Kansas Award for its season and National Team Records. Trophies and memorabilia from the teams will be displayed in the trophy case on the ground floor of Hennessy Hall, open to the public Monday – Friday, 7 am – 5 pm.

In the 40-year history of football competition at St. Mary of the Plains College, the 1973 and 1975 teams were the only previous football champions, under Head Coach Matt May. The 1988 SMPC team set the foundation for the new era, producing the first winning season in nearly a decade.

The SMPC teams were Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Champions for three consecutive years,1989, 1990, and 1991, with a combined regular-season record of 28 – 2: 1989 (10 – 0), 1990 (9 – 1), 1991 (9 – 1). All three were National Collegiate Athletic Association playoff teams. The 1989 Cavaliers broke three All-Time National Intercollegiate Defensive Records for all NCAA Divisions I, II, and III as well as any National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics competition.

The All-Time Records include:
• 8 Shutouts in 10 games
• Total of 13 points (1 touchdown, 2 field goals) yielded in 10 games
• Opponents scored an average of only 1.3 points per game
• The 1989 team led the KCAC and District 10 in Total Yards Rushing and Total Offense
Yards and was the only 10-win team in the history of St. Mary of the Plains College.